Voluntary Sector: Top spot for Age Concern

Age Concern has bumped the RSPCA off the top position in the NGO Watch
report for August, after gaining coverage for its claims that elderly
people are going hungry in hospitals.

The charity hit the headlines with a report released last month that
said six out of ten older people are at risk of becoming malnourished in
hospital. The report was picked up by media outlets including Press
Association, the BBC and The Daily Telegraph.

In response to the report's conclusions, the Department of Health said
it recognised there was a problem and that it aimed to act on the
findings.

Many newspapers also focused on another angle that came out of the
report, which was that elderly people are often abused and mistreated in
care homes and hospitals.

Separately, Age Concern gained coverage last month for criticising the
price increases by energy companies.

The RSPCA fell one place despite gaining coverage for its criticism of
the annual Crufts event. An RSPCA spokesperson called it 'a parade of
mutants' and a 'freakish, garish beauty pageant'.

The animal welfare charity also generated coverage after it successfully
removed a washing machine from a cow's head. It used this to highlight
how fly-tipping can put animals in danger.

Human Rights Watch jumped into third position after it criticised China
for restricting access to certain websites during the Beijing Olympic
Games. It also gained national coverage for criticising the Russian
government for employing cluster bombs against the Georgian Army.

Cancer Research generated a media furore after it warned that NHS
patients were enduring extreme financial hardship in order to pay for
their treatments.

Meanwhile the Citizens Advice Bureau jumped into the table after it
called on the Government to pay family carers a wage of £110 per
week.